When
I
started
building
blockchain
products,
I
frequently
said
blockchain
is
a
database;
it
doesn’t
save
the
world.
Technology
on
its
own
rarely
does.
Every
technology’s
value
hinges
on
the
functionality
and
utility
it
brings
to
everyday
people
in
their
environments.
Tori
Samples
is
a
senior
product
manager
at
the
Stellar
Development
Foundation.
Consider
another
technology
that
once
seemed
new
and
frightening:
the
humble
elevator.
The
elevator
is
ubiquitous
today
because
people
appreciate
its
value
for
a
specific
need
and
context.
Elevators
are
not
a
panacea,
nor
are
they
the
only
way
to
move
up
and
down.
However,
most
people
use
and
trust
elevators
because
the
industry
followed
basic
product
principles
every
builder
should
emulate.
See
also:
What
Kind
of
Culture
Are
We
Building
in
Web3?
|
Opinion
The
average
user
can’t
explain
how
a
metal
box
moves
them
through
vertical
space,
but
they
see
what
elevators
enable
for
them.
What
was
once
a
new,
frightening
technology
has
become
an
uncontroversial
tool
with
mass
adoption.
Over
time,
the
touches
developed
to
make
people
comfortable
—
elevator
music
and
a
human
operator
—
have
gone
by
the
wayside
in
favor
of
consistent
regulations
and
widespread
trust.
I
study
the
deployment
of
products
like
elevators
because
mass
adoption
is
the
key
to
blockchain
no
longer
being
perceived
as
scary
and/or
inconsequential.
I
build
products
for
everyday
people
who
are
often
marginalized
due
to
factors
outside
of
their
control:
where
they
were
born,
lack
of
financial
infrastructure,
conflict
or
natural
disasters.
Products
must
be
undeniably
useful
to
be
adopted
by
people
in
these
environments.
That’s
why
I
currently
lead
the
development
of
the
Stellar
Disbursement
Platform,
the
bulk
payments
product
that
powers
humanitarian
cash
assistance,
cross-border
payroll,
government
social
programs
and
paying
unbanked
gig-workers
and
creators.
That’s
also
why
I
previously
built
Boss
Money,
a
digital
wallet
for
refugees
and
migrants
in
Africa.
Perhaps
the
biggest
lesson
learned
from
building
and
deploying
blockchain
products
for
the
“real
world”
is
that
users
care
about
how
products
benefit
them,
not
about
the
tech
underneath.
Somehow,
the
crypto
industry
is
still
figuring
this
out.
We
spend
too
much
time
advertising
the
blockchain
equivalent
of
elevator
pulleys
and
levers
(the
raw
tech)
when
we
should
be
emphasizing
value
and
function.
If
a
blockchain
product
makes
a
person’s
life
tangibly
easier
or
better,
they
will
likely
use
it.
They’ll
never
be
sold
by
an
explanation
of
a
specific
layer
1’s
consensus
mechanism.
As
a
former
founder,
I
know
it
can
be
fun
to
jump
to
the
inner
workings
of
a
product.
I
also
know
that
none
of
my
customers
—
mostly
refugees
in
Rwanda
—
would
say
they
were
sold
by
those
inner
workings.
They
used
our
wallet
because
it
allowed
them
to
send
money
to
people
in
other
countries,
hold
multiple
currencies
and
avoid
carrying
cash
across
borders.
Let
the
results
speak
for
themselves.
There
is
a
learning
curve
to
building
and
deploying
tech
that
can
only
be
overcome
with
human
touches.
You
need
both
compelling
evidence
and
human
touches
to
overcome
initial
resistance.
Assuming
a
product
benefits
users,
remember
that
fear
is
usually
the
driving
factor
behind
slow
adoption.
Blockchain
has
impeccable
evidence
behind
it
but
the
industry
still
needs
to
instill
confidence.
See
also:
The
Benefits
of
Building
Apps
On-Chain
|
Opinion
The
tech
world
generally
views
appeals
to
humanity
as
inefficient
or
unnecessary.
However,
product
leaders
should
allocate
resources
towards
initiatives
that
bring
new
experiences
closer
to
what
users
already
know
and
trust.
You’re
not
committing
to
these
initiatives
forever;
you’re
just
opening
the
door
to
the
next
wave
of
users.
This
could
be
staffing
a
phone
line
with
real
humans,
keeping
an
office
as
a
proxy
for
trust,
showing
up
where
users
congregate
or
mimicking
legacy
tools
with
skeuomorphic
design.
Ultimately,
builders
must
trust
users
to
make
their
own
decisions.
Just
as
we
ask
users
to
trust
us
and
our
products,
we
have
to
trust
that
people
are
the
experts
on
their
own
needs
and
circumstances.
Most
situations
fall
into
one
of
three
categories:
global
(all
users
can
be
expected
to
make
the
same
choice
consistently),
unique
to
an
individual
(the
same
user
will
make
the
same
choice
consistently)
and
context-specific
(the
same
user
may
choose
differently
over
time).
Knowing
how
people
utilize
your
product
can
help
you
position
it
for
mass
adoption,
but
it
doesn’t
allow
you
to
decide
when
a
person
should
use
it.
Once
you’ve
made
the
technology
available
and
beneficial,
trust
people
to
make
the
right
decision
for
themselves.
Assuming
you’ve
validated
you
built
the
right
product,
and
your
messaging
is
effective,
live
at
peace.
Your
users
are
just
as
rational
as
you.
Adherence
to
these
principles,
plus
time,
will
pave
the
road
for
blockchain
products
to
become
as
ubiquitous
as
the
elevator.
And
like
the
elevator,
these
products
should
simply
help
users
reliably
move
about
their
lives
with
more
ease
and
freedom
than
before.
